MARKET ROUNDUP (Source Bloomberg)

S&P 500 Falls as Apple Slump Overshadows Rally in Dell; amid concern about iPhone sales offset a rally in Dell Inc. The S&P 500 (SPX) retreated 0.1 percent to 1,470.68 at 4 p.m. New York time. The benchmark gauge for U.S. equities trimmed a decline of as much as 0.4 percent amid Dell (DELL)'s rally. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 18.89 points, or 0.1 percent, to 13,507.32. About 5.6 billion shares changed hands on U.S. exchanges, or 8.1 percent below the three-month average. Almost 80 percent of the 28 S&P 500 companies which reported quarterly results beat analysts forecasts. Fourth- quarter profits at S&P 500 companies grew 2.5 percent, according to analysts estimates compiled by Bloomberg. That would be the second-slowest quarterly growth since 2009, the data show.

Oil Trades Near Four-Month High on U.S. Economy, Colder Weather; before reports that may show the economy recovering in the U.S., the world's biggest crude- consuming nation. West Texas Intermediate futures were little changed after climbing 0.6 percent yesterday. Retail sales probably rose for a second month in December, according to a Bloomberg News survey of economists before Commerce Department data. Other reports these weeks are projected to show increases in industrial production and homebuilding. Heating oil advanced a second day after the biggest gain since November on forecasts for colder weather on the U.S. East Coast and Midwest. Crude for February delivery was at $94.11 a barrel, down 3 cents, in in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange at 11:01 a.m. Sydney time. The contract rose 58 cents to $94.14 yesterday, the highest close since Sept. 18. Prices dropped 7.1 percent last year.

Jupiter Securities Research - 15 January 2013